The Dancer Who Helped Topple a King
March 20, 1848
Lola Montez presented herself as a Spanish dancer, but she was really Eliza Gilbert, born in Ireland. In 1846 she arrived in Munich and quickly captivated King Ludwig I of Bavaria, who made her a countess and let her sway politics, outraging his ministers, students and the public. Riots in early 1848 forced the king to send her away, and with revolution spreading across Europe, Ludwig abdicated on 20 March 1848 in favour of his son. The scandal was not the only cause of his fall, but it badly damaged him. Montez went on to perform in America and Australia and died in New York in 1861.